Charles McPhedran
@charliekreuz.bsky.social
Australian journalist, filmmaker between Berlin and Kyiv. Focused on spies, special forces, and why justice is so rarely served. Check out my BBC Radio 4 documentary, “Putin’s Blood Feud” https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002830j
Pinned
Reducing legal liability for the leadership has been a Russian foreign policy priority for years. It is often one of the first things that foreign leaders concede in negotiations. Perhaps because a prosecution seems unlikely. But this has arguably entrenched the regime’s belief it has impunity.
Reposted by Charles McPhedran
Wow, a "sophisticated espionage campaign" (attributed to a "Chinese state-sponsored group") used Claude's agentic capability to _execute_ its large-scale attacks -- the first of its kind, Anthropic believes
www.anthropic.com/news/disrupt...
www.anthropic.com/news/disrupt...
Disrupting the first reported AI-orchestrated cyber espionage campaign
A report describing an a highly sophisticated AI-led cyberattack
www.anthropic.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Wow, a "sophisticated espionage campaign" (attributed to a "Chinese state-sponsored group") used Claude's agentic capability to _execute_ its large-scale attacks -- the first of its kind, Anthropic believes
www.anthropic.com/news/disrupt...
www.anthropic.com/news/disrupt...
Remarkable that the toll wasn’t higher with this level of damage of residential neighbourhoods.
😱 High-rise building in Kyiv is collapsing right before our eyes — the collapse occurred after the fire was extinguished due to a strike
🇺🇦Real War
🇺🇦Real War
November 14, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Remarkable that the toll wasn’t higher with this level of damage of residential neighbourhoods.
Seems like the then secretary general of the Council of Europe, a former Norwegian PM, was acting as an intermediary between Epstein and the Kremlin.
November 13, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Seems like the then secretary general of the Council of Europe, a former Norwegian PM, was acting as an intermediary between Epstein and the Kremlin.
Germany’s auto industry is in free fall. Stunning figures:
A few hundred more tanks help, but Germany has already lost 50% of its net car exports - a million vehicles - and China’s global car exports continue to surge.
I hope France’s G7 presidency helps convince China to lift internal demand, but hope is not a plan.
10/
I hope France’s G7 presidency helps convince China to lift internal demand, but hope is not a plan.
10/
November 13, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Germany’s auto industry is in free fall. Stunning figures:
Reposted by Charles McPhedran
Ukraine has moved to sanction businessman Timur Mindich, a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, amid a sweeping corruption probe into alleged kickbacks and money laundering at the state-owned nuclear energy firm Energoatom.
www.occrp.org/en/news/ukra...
www.occrp.org/en/news/ukra...
Ukraine Cracks Down on ‘Shadow Managers’ in $100 Million Energy Fraud Case
Ukraine has moved to sanction businessman Timur Mindich, a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, amid a sweeping corruption probe into alleged kickbacks and money laundering at the state-owned...
www.occrp.org
November 12, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Ukraine has moved to sanction businessman Timur Mindich, a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, amid a sweeping corruption probe into alleged kickbacks and money laundering at the state-owned nuclear energy firm Energoatom.
www.occrp.org/en/news/ukra...
www.occrp.org/en/news/ukra...
On the financial aspect of this e-mail: Mueller was reportedly investigating the sale to Rybolovev, but nothing appears about it in the publicly available parts of his report.
Why—and did the IRS look at the transaction?
Why—and did the IRS look at the transaction?
In case anyone is still wondering why Trump never released his tax records…
November 13, 2025 at 7:38 AM
On the financial aspect of this e-mail: Mueller was reportedly investigating the sale to Rybolovev, but nothing appears about it in the publicly available parts of his report.
Why—and did the IRS look at the transaction?
Why—and did the IRS look at the transaction?
"The eight wars that my administration has ended in eight months – there's never been anything like that," he said.
“It's like, I shouldn't say it's a hobby, because it's so much more serious, but something I'm good at and something I love to do."
Donald J Trump, 26 October
“It's like, I shouldn't say it's a hobby, because it's so much more serious, but something I'm good at and something I love to do."
Donald J Trump, 26 October
Phnom Penh has accused Thai troops of killing a civilian at the border, just days after a peace deal between the two countries was paused by Thailand.
Cambodia and Thailand trade accusations of violence at border
Phnom Penh has accused Thai troops of killing a civilian at the border, just days after a peace deal between the two countries was paused by Thailand.
www.abc.net.au
November 12, 2025 at 3:30 PM
"The eight wars that my administration has ended in eight months – there's never been anything like that," he said.
“It's like, I shouldn't say it's a hobby, because it's so much more serious, but something I'm good at and something I love to do."
Donald J Trump, 26 October
“It's like, I shouldn't say it's a hobby, because it's so much more serious, but something I'm good at and something I love to do."
Donald J Trump, 26 October
Reposted by Charles McPhedran
New Epstein emails just dropped, and they involve Trump. 🎁🔗 www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
November 12, 2025 at 1:39 PM
New Epstein emails just dropped, and they involve Trump. 🎁🔗 www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
This really reads as astonishingly corrupt.
A top prison official is complaining that he is “sick” of being Ghislaine Maxwell’s “b---h” at her cushy new prison digs.vThat is according to whistleblowers who spoke to the House Committee on the Judiciary, whose ranking member laid out the insight in a fiery letter to President Donald Trump.
Prison Official Is Sick of Being Ghislaine’s ‘B***h’ at Club Fed
The convicted sex trafficker has allegedly been granted private workout sessions in addition to other not-very-prison-like amenities.
www.thedailybeast.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:38 PM
This really reads as astonishingly corrupt.
This is a dramatic shift. Interested to see the effects on the Chinese market: its firms have been an even more significant buyer of Russian crude than India.
No Indian support: russia was left without oil orders in December
November 11, 2025 at 2:53 PM
This is a dramatic shift. Interested to see the effects on the Chinese market: its firms have been an even more significant buyer of Russian crude than India.
Reposted by Charles McPhedran
"Many of the missing are people who went to collect food and never returned — often from distribution sites managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), where Israeli soldiers and security contractors killed over 2,600 people since May."
Over 11,000 Palestinians from Gaza, mostly women and children, have disappeared since October 7. Their relatives don’t know if they’re dead or alive, trapped under rubble or detained in Israeli prisons — but they’re desperate to find answers.
www.972mag.com/search-gaza-...
www.972mag.com/search-gaza-...
The search for Gaza's missing
Over 11,000 Palestinians have disappeared since Oct. 7. Relatives don’t know if they’re dead or alive, under rubble or in prison.
www.972mag.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:58 AM
"Many of the missing are people who went to collect food and never returned — often from distribution sites managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), where Israeli soldiers and security contractors killed over 2,600 people since May."
Reposted by Charles McPhedran
Graphic showing US military deployments in SOUTHCOM
November 9, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Graphic showing US military deployments in SOUTHCOM
Maddeningly, this is now happening weekly, if not more frequently.
1/2
Russia attacked journalists and an evacuation team, trying to save residents' lives, in Kostiantynivka.
"Thank god I'm alive" says the driver in Russian after a Kremlin killer drone tried to eliminate him and the two guests.
Russia attacked journalists and an evacuation team, trying to save residents' lives, in Kostiantynivka.
"Thank god I'm alive" says the driver in Russian after a Kremlin killer drone tried to eliminate him and the two guests.
November 8, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Maddeningly, this is now happening weekly, if not more frequently.
Russian mercenaries forced French and UN peacekeepers out. Now they appear unable to control Mali, and the worst seems likely.
An unfolding tragedy for the people of Mali. And a grim reminder that everything Russia touches turns to death and disaster.
on.ft.com/49uzklg via @FT
on.ft.com/49uzklg via @FT
Jihadis encircle Mali’s capital as they close in on power
Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists tighten blockade around Bamako as military regime reels
on.ft.com
November 1, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Russian mercenaries forced French and UN peacekeepers out. Now they appear unable to control Mali, and the worst seems likely.
Reposted by Charles McPhedran
Over 460 people were reportedly killed at a hospital in western Darfur that was taken by Sudanese paramilitary forces, the WHO chief says.
apnews.com/article/suda...
apnews.com/article/suda...
Sudan's paramilitary killed hundreds including hospital patients in Darfur, residents say
Sudan's paramilitary forces have killed hundreds, including patients, in a hospital in el-Fasher city, Darfur, according to residents and aid workers.
apnews.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Over 460 people were reportedly killed at a hospital in western Darfur that was taken by Sudanese paramilitary forces, the WHO chief says.
apnews.com/article/suda...
apnews.com/article/suda...
A coup in Romania, an EU member-state…
🇷🇺 Russian figures close to the Kremlin are mounting a last-minute attempt to halt the extradition from Dubai of a Romanian-French mercenary wanted in #Romania for plotting a coup, the Guardian can reveal.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
#russia
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
#russia
Kremlin-linked operatives scramble to stop extradition of mercenary accused of plotting coup
Exclusive: Inside a Russian bid to free Horațiu Potra, a mercenary held in Dubai accused of conspiring to ‘overthrow constitutional order’ in Romania
www.theguardian.com
October 29, 2025 at 11:17 AM
A coup in Romania, an EU member-state…
Reposted by Charles McPhedran
Russia ends the Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement, but the commitment not to use PMDA plutonium for military purposes appears to remain in place. Links in the next tweet. Image: A mock up of a container used to store plutonium at Mayak 1/2
October 28, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Russia ends the Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement, but the commitment not to use PMDA plutonium for military purposes appears to remain in place. Links in the next tweet. Image: A mock up of a container used to store plutonium at Mayak 1/2
Amazing words of wisdom like “If you come out and you aren’t right, then you’ll get one on the the noggin.”
Dmitriev gifted these chocolates feat Putin’s quotes to the US delegation
The pack is called “Great words by the grand human” and “We don’t leave ours behind “
Next post - I translate the little squares
The pack is called “Great words by the grand human” and “We don’t leave ours behind “
Next post - I translate the little squares
October 26, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Amazing words of wisdom like “If you come out and you aren’t right, then you’ll get one on the the noggin.”
Reposted by Charles McPhedran
"Ein fatales Signal an alle Putin-Gegner" nennt Grünen-Politiker Wagener die Abschiebung von Familienmitgliedern des "Tiergartenmord"-Opfers. Sie müssen in Georgien um ihre Sicherheit fürchten, die Grenze nach Russland ist offen. www.tagesschau.de/ausland/euro...
"Tiergartenmord": Bruder des Opfers mit Familie abgeschoben
Mehrere Familienmitglieder des 2019 in Berlin ermordeten Selimchan Changoschwili sind nach Georgien abgeschoben worden. Sie fürchten dort um ihre Sicherheit. Grünen-Politiker Wagener spricht von "zyni...
www.tagesschau.de
October 25, 2025 at 9:54 AM
"Ein fatales Signal an alle Putin-Gegner" nennt Grünen-Politiker Wagener die Abschiebung von Familienmitgliedern des "Tiergartenmord"-Opfers. Sie müssen in Georgien um ihre Sicherheit fürchten, die Grenze nach Russland ist offen. www.tagesschau.de/ausland/euro...
Zurab Khangoshvili, whose brother Zelimkhan was murdered in Berlin by a FSB hitman, has been deported back to Georgia by the German authorities. Zurab has told me that he fled after his late brother warned he was *not* safe there. 1/2
(DW via @tavisupleba.bsky.social)
www.dw.com/ru/brata-ubi...
(DW via @tavisupleba.bsky.social)
www.dw.com/ru/brata-ubi...
Брата убитого в Берлине Хангошвили депортировали в Грузию – DW – 24.10.2025
Чартерным рейсом в Тбилиси 23 октября были высланы 48 человек. Среди них брат и другие родственники убитого в Берлине бывшего чеченского полевого командира Зелимхана Хангошвили. DW наблюдала за депорт...
www.dw.com
October 25, 2025 at 6:51 AM
Zurab Khangoshvili, whose brother Zelimkhan was murdered in Berlin by a FSB hitman, has been deported back to Georgia by the German authorities. Zurab has told me that he fled after his late brother warned he was *not* safe there. 1/2
(DW via @tavisupleba.bsky.social)
www.dw.com/ru/brata-ubi...
(DW via @tavisupleba.bsky.social)
www.dw.com/ru/brata-ubi...
Drums are beating harder and harder every day.
Trump will coordinate with Congress "when Maduro’s corpse is in U.S. custody," administration source says.-Semafor
October 24, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Drums are beating harder and harder every day.
Where is the reporting on this?
“For local residents, Russia’s human safari has made sudden death from above an everyday fact of life. During the first nine months of 2025, more than a hundred people were killed and over one thousand were wounded in drone attacks.”
www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrain...
www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrain...
Russia’s ‘human safari’ in southern Ukraine is a warning to the world
Russia's escalating campaign of drone attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine's Kherson region highlights the destructive power of modern drone technologies, writes Oleksandr Tolokonnikov.
www.atlanticcouncil.org
October 24, 2025 at 5:11 AM
Where is the reporting on this?
Reposted by Charles McPhedran
'Russia acquired advanced Western technologies to build an underwater network designed to protect its nuclear weapons. The incident raises questions about Europe's ability to prevent the export of sensitive technologies to Moscow.' www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decod... #Harmony #Гармoния (€)
'Russian Secrets': How Russia built an Arctic spy network using European equipment
Hidden behind shell companies, Russia acquired advanced Western technologies to build a secret underwater network designed to protect its nuclear weapons. The incident raises questions about Europe's ...
www.lemonde.fr
October 23, 2025 at 5:54 AM
'Russia acquired advanced Western technologies to build an underwater network designed to protect its nuclear weapons. The incident raises questions about Europe's ability to prevent the export of sensitive technologies to Moscow.' www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decod... #Harmony #Гармoния (€)
Revealing interview with a former FSB officer, who reveals how astroturf movements/organised crime were used by first Yanukovych on the Maidan (to suppress protest) and then by the FSB (as “separatists”) in Donbas. This matches a lot of my reporting back then.
theins.ru/en/confessio...
theins.ru/en/confessio...
October 23, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Revealing interview with a former FSB officer, who reveals how astroturf movements/organised crime were used by first Yanukovych on the Maidan (to suppress protest) and then by the FSB (as “separatists”) in Donbas. This matches a lot of my reporting back then.
theins.ru/en/confessio...
theins.ru/en/confessio...